[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 73 (Thursday, May 15, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E969-E970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. DOUG OSE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 2003

  Mr. OSE. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise to introduce legislation that 
will elevate the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to the Cabinet 
and redesignate the EPA as the Department of Environmental Protection.
  The United States is one of the few industrial nations that does not 
place environmental protection at a cabinet-level position. I believe 
that environmental protection is as important as other cabinet 
functions, and is critical to the health and well-being of this 
nation's environment and people.
  During the 107th Congress, the Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural 
Resources and Regulatory Affairs, which I chair, held three hearings to 
explore the merits of elevating EPA to department-level status. These 
hearings addressed two EPA elevation bills introduced by Congressman 
Sherwood Boehlert and former Congressman Steve Horn. Several experts, 
representatives of the regulated community, Federal and State officials 
testified not only about the merits of elevating EPA to department-
level status, but also about current organizational problems at EPA 
that hinder effective environmental protection.
  Currently, each EPA Regional office, Program office and division 
reports directly to EPA's Administrator and Deputy Administrator. The 
Subcommittee discovered that this ``stovepipe'' organization results in 
EPA's inability to effectively address cross-media environmental 
protection. I believe that EPA's structure, as it currently exists, 
lacks adequate oversight and coordination of its offices to ensure that 
science, policy and implementation are integrated throughout EPA.
  The Subcommittee also found that EPA lacks scientific leadership and 
critical science for decisionmaking. The Subcommittee found that many 
of the problems with EPA's science stems from the fact that scientific 
activities take place in both the Office of Research and Development 
and the Program offices without sufficient coordination and intraagency 
dissemination of information. My bill creates an Under Secretary for 
Science and Information that will advance environmental protection by 
conducting peer-reviewed scientific studies of the highest caliber.
  Several departments have their own statistical agencies to provide 
independent and reliable data for decisionmaking and analysis. These 
include: the Department of Commerce's Bureau of the Census; the 
Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics; the 
Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration; the 
Department of Health and Human Services' National Center for Health 
Statistics; and the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  EPA lacks a similar function, resulting in unreliable statistical 
data on current environmental conditions necessary to measure whether 
EPA's policies and regulations efficiently and successfully protect the 
environment. My bill creates a Bureau of Environmental Statistics that 
I believe will provide the Department with the tools it needs to meet 
its responsibilities.

[[Page E970]]

  EPA, as it exists today, does not have the institutional ability to 
meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century. My bill reflects 
the recommendations of several expert witnesses at the Subcommittee's 
hearings about how to make the EPA a more effective protector of the 
environment.

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